Sariska

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT SARISKA - PAGE 2

MUMBAI: Forest officials in Madhya Pradesh are confident they'll find evidence confirming the presence of 34 tigers in Panna, by the end of this week. Even the officials from the Rajasthan government are certain that the elusive tigers from Ranthambore and Sariska will spring up in May for the annual tiger census. Their unwavering confidence, is based largely on Indian forester SR Choudhury's pug mark method which, they believe, will 'eventually' clear the air on tiger disappearances in these areas.

NEW DELHI: Only 1,411 tigers remain in the wild in India. That is the stark finding of the National Tiger Conservation Authority's estimation report which was released on Tuesday. The report confirms the worst fears of experts and conservationists?that the national animal is living on the edge, not all that far from a perilous slide to extinction. The big cat, which has inspired writers and hunters-turned-conservationists like Jim Corbett since the days of the Raj, is facing its toughest battle for survival yet. Tigers are surviving under hazardous circumstances in habitats in 17 states and if these eco-systems fragment further, the depletion rate of the animal may worsen.

FROM MUMBAI: KELVA BEACH, 70 KMS, 1.30 HRS Beach time is always fun time, be it with friends, family or even just by yourself. Pack a picnic basket and spend a day on Kelva Beach, in Thane district. Relatively unexplored, Kelva Beach is mostly visited by locals, who drop by in the evening for some relaxation and rejuvenation by the Arabian sea . Kelva is also known as a fishing village. The coast is dotted with Casuarina and Suru trees, lending the beach a picturesque quality.

ALWAR: Days after one of the five tigers translocated to the Sariska reserve in Rajasthan was found dead, another big cat which has been missing for about a week was on Thursday located through radio signals, an official said. "A team succeeded in establishing link with the missing tiger through signals and the location was near Akbarpur," District Forest Officer (Sariska) Y K Sahu said. He said the tiger, "ST-4", was not visible yet but efforts are on to find it. The carcass of the other missing tiger, identified as "ST-1" was found by a forest department team near Rajaugarh on Sunday night.

SARISKA: After a prolonged wait, a male tiger literally landed on Saturday in Sariska Tiger Reserve as part of a rehabilitation programme after the park lost all its big cats to poaching. "The exercise to bring in a tiger from Ranthambore (National Park) was completed (Saturday) in the afternoon," Rajasthan Chief Wildlife Warden R.N. Mehrotra said. The tiger was flown in by a helicopter from Ranthambore in a sedated condition. "We were planning to undertake the exercise early in the day but as the weather was not good, it was delayed by a few hours," Mehrotra said.

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has refused to cancel new mining leases in the Sariska range despite Union forests minister Jairam Ramesh asking chief minister Ashok Gehlot to put an end to mining in the Aravali ranges and cancel all new leases. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled: "no mining in Aravalis till further orders". On October 21, TOI had reported that new mining leases were issued near Sariska wildlife sanctuary. The next day, Ramesh had asked Gehlot to cancel the leases immediately.

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has refused to cancel new mining leases in the Sariska range despite Union forests minister Jairam Ramesh asking chief minister Ashok Gehlot to put an end to mining in the Aravali ranges and cancel all new leases. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled: "no mining in Aravalis till further orders". On October 21, TOI had reported that new mining leases were issued near Sariska wildlife sanctuary. The next day, Ramesh had asked Gehlot to cancel the leases immediately.

Here is an ideal getaway for bravehearts from Delhi who have only the weekends to spare. Just two hours away and tiger for company is Sariska Palace, a hunting lodge of Maharaja Jai Singh of Alwar. Apart from tigers, Sariska has also been made famous by politicians who find it ideal to hold pow-wows. The imposing Sariska Palace was built as a royal hunting lodge at the close of 19th century by Maharajah Jai Singh. Conveniently located 187 kms. from Delhi and 120 kms from Jaipur, Sariska Palace is today a palace hotel with all the amenities to make the guest feel like a maharajah.

The tigers may or may not be there, but nevertheless, a visit to the Sariska National Park is always exciting...watching the neelgais, the wild boars, the mynahs who willingly perch on your hand and peck at the grains.. Besides tigers, Sariska has also been made famous by politicians who find it an ideal place to hold pow-wows. And they all stay at the imposing Sariska Palace, built as a royal hunting lodge at the close of 19th century by Maharajah Jai Singh. Sariska National Park is located 35 kms from Alwar City, along the lap of Aravalli Hills in the Alwar district of Rajasthan.

MUMBAI: It's official, the World Wildlife Fund- India (WWF) report on the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, clearly states. "The area searched by the team; both during the day and night time, revealed not a single sign of evidence, direct or indirect to indicate the continued presence of the tiger... " and if the reserve does have any of those elusive Big Cats, their numbers are likely to be small. The study, conducted in response to an invitation by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Rajasthan, was done by a WWF-India team on February 11 and 12, to assist the intensive search operations undertaken by the state government, in Sariska.